Ex-council leader to become deputy police chief year after leaving politics

Phil Davies is in line to become Merseyside's deputy police and crime commissioner just a year after leaving politics. (Image: Ian Cooper)

Sign up to FREE email alerts from Liverpool Echo - daily

When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they’ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. OurPrivacy Noticeexplains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Ms Kennedy was due to step down in May, but with elections postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak she has agreed to stay on for another year.

Mr Davies is understood to have been the only candidate for the role in a recruitment process that was “streamlined” due to the urgency of the coronavirus crisis and Ms Kennedy’s unexpected extra year in office.

Ms Kennedy said: “I am delighted that Phil Davies has accepted my invitation to assist me through this period. Phil has a long and distinguished record as a public servant, serving the communities of the Wirral as a local councillor for the Birkenhead and Tranmere Ward for 28 years and seven years as the Leader of Wirral Council.

"He also chaired the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, comprising the leaders of Sefton, St Helens, Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool and Wirral local authorities. He played a central role in negotiating the region’s devolution settlement with the government.

“Phil’s knowledge and experience of working locally, regionally and nationally will be an enormous advantage to Merseyside Police and to me. He is perfectly placed to provide the resilience, stability and continuity required in these challenging times."

Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner Jane Kennedy had been planning to stand down this year, but the coronavirus crisis has postponed the election.

Mr Davies said: “I am thrilled to have been selected as the Commissioner’s preferred candidate for the role of Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner. I am passionate about delivering good public services and championing the interests of the communities I represent, ensuring they have a strong voice and their views are listened to and acted upon.

“This was at the heart of my work as a Councillor and Council leader for the Wirral and it is the approach I would bring to this role, supporting and working alongside the Police Commissioner representing people from across the whole of Merseyside.”

His resignation came at a turbulent time in Wirral politics, during which he clashed with more left-wing elements within the local Labour Party.

Following then-Birkenhead MP Frank Field’s decision to leave the party in 2018, Mr Davies said the local party had been taken over by "a small group of hard-line extremists that are pursuing a narrow ideological agenda".

Read More

Related Articles

Opposition councillors in 2017 said the then-leader should “fall on his sword” after a series of investigations highlighted major failings that allowed brothers Ilavarasan and Vinothan Rajenthiram to sexually abuse eight teenage girls over a period of five years.

The scandal saw Wirral Council’s director of children’s services Julia Hassall and cabinet member Tony Smith both lose their jobs.